China's most famous poet, nicknamed the "Immortal of Poetry". Free, flamboyant and hungry for glory, he dreams of a court career that his birth denies him.
Personality
Generous, exalted and unpredictable, Li Bai lives every moment intensely, between drunkenness and despair. His freedom fascinates Gao Shi, but it also undoes him.
Powers & abilities
His poems are his magic: when he recites Qiang Jin Jiu, the film shows him soaring above the clouds. He also wields a sword.
History
A merchant's son barred from the imperial exams, he spends his life looking for a patron. He knows glory in Chang'an, then disgrace, and ends up imprisoned for joining a rebel prince during the An Lushan Rebellion.
Relationships
Gao Shi is his most loyal friend. Du Fu admires him. Princess Yuzhen and the calligrapher Zhang Xu cross his path.
Key moments
- Reciting Qiang Jin Jiu in mid-flight on a crane.
- His reunion with Gao Shi in Chang'an.
- His poetic drinking bouts with Gao Shi and Du Fu.
In the adaptations
A historical figure (701-762), he has inspired many works. In the film he is seen through Gao Shi's eyes.
Did you know?
- The poem Qiang Jin Jiu ("Bring in the Wine") is one of his most famous.
- The film quotes several of his best-known poems.
Our take
Li Bai is dazzling and tragic: the film gives him back all his excess.
— Spidermas, for Donghua Fan